Ana
Ana is a unique character in the series who isn’t an NPC, but an actual player - like the Player who directs Dan in the series. Although she wanted to hang out with a fellow player for fun, her actions created a riff between Dan and Josie’s relationship with unintentional consequences. Role Ana was another player within the game who discovered the Player during an online game search - revealing the game within the web series had online gameplay. She found Dan, the Player’s chosen character, and introduced herself to hang out with him. Using Dan as a proxy, the Player embarked on a fun adventure in the MMO with Ana as he learned about his future reward for completing the game. Unfortunately, in the StudioJoho ending Ana forgot Josie was sapient, whereas in the Halfbrick ending Ana simply forgot about Josie - and the importance she held for the Player to beat the game. In either case, Josie being left behind would create trouble for Dan and the Player later on. In the Web Series Ana’s only appearance was in Stage Six, though her knowledge about the game revealed a great deal of information about the game‘s world as well as the endgame content. She also became a love interest of the Player, but his callous actions - and desire to hang out with a fellow player - made the situation more difficult to progress later on. Stage Six While Dan and Josie were having fun on a date in the forest outside of the Villager’s Town, they were approached by a woman named Ana who revealed herself to be another player; she then began a chat log with the Player. She told him the place they were in was called the MMO, and all players who beat the final stage could live there. The Player, now interested in Ana, started to talk about many random subjects, and the two hit it off immediately. At first, Josie was also interested, but began to realize Dan was acting strange. She also didn’t recognize the communication chat log, and wondered why “Dan” (actually the Player) was talking with Ana on the duo’s date. When Ana noticed Josie’s confusion, Ana realized she was intruding on the Player’s gameplay, and stated she could leave. The Player, however, dismissed Josie as being an NPC, and was therefore not real - something that confused Josie (who is sapient, and therefore is quite real in the game world). Believing it was now ok, Ana asked the Player if he wanted to check out her home; he directed Dan to go hang out with her, and left behind Josie. This shocked her, and made her think Dan had dumped her; she ran back to the Inn, unable to handle the heartbreak. Meanwhile, the Player and Ana used their respective characters to have fun together while hanging out. First, she showed off her customized home which had taken her three months to build, and revealed she could customize her avatar’s appearance at will. Then they played a game of chess together, and when asked what he was like, they began to chat at a rapid pace. Finally, their characters were seen relaxing in a hot tub. Near the end, the Player asked Ana what she looked like in real life. Her simple - and somewhat depressed answer - was “different,” and that she liked the version of herself in the MMO better. Afterward, the Player directed Dan to kiss Ana, who reciprocated the Player’s feelings towards her. Then he had to leave since he still needed to beat the game - in order to continue hanging out with Ana - but the next scene changed depending on which version of the video is being watched: ''-Studio Joho Variant of Stage Six Ending'' The Player asked Ana how to beat the game since he remembered she already won, but the answer made him realize he screwed up: In order to win, Dan had to marry Josie. However, since the Player made Dan abandon her earlier, the Player realized Dan’s actions could be interpreted as him breaking up with her, thus making the situation more difficult than it needed to be. Ana admitted she agreed with the Player that the game was nuts ''-Halfbrick Variant of Stage Six Ending '' The Player asked Ana if she really was female; she laughed in response, and declared that she was a woman in real life. {Special Note: It’s unknown which ending is considered the true canon ending. The Halfbrick Variant was made after the Studio Joho Variant, making it appear as if the two companies had the ending secretly changed. By theory, this would make the ending more ambiguous as to how the Player wins the game, but it’s also apparent that Dan and Josie’s relationship plays a key part. As a result, both endings can be treated as canon.} In either ending’s case, Ana watched the Player direct Dan to run back towards the Villager’s Town, all in order to him make up with Josie. During which, she noticed Dan had been repeatedly performing Down Kick attacks while jumping near the ground as he moved - a parody on how players within games sometimes make their characters do irrational actions while moving to relive boredom. Amused by the Player’s antics, she typed a smiling emoticon, hoping the Player would beat the game soon so they could hang out again. Trivia * Ana’s ability to customize her own avatar is referenced in the official game; Players can choose to play as the Custom Character, allowing themselves to alter their clothing and gender. However, they do not have the ability to alter their character’s physical appearance - other than gender - whereas Ana could do so within the web series. ** It’s also hinted that Ana might suffer from depression in real life, considering she thinks more highly of her avatar than her own appearance. A common coping method for depressed players in “second life MMOs” is to build an ideal version of themselves within the game in order to live a more luxurious fantasy life - or at least one that lets them ignore a more harsh reality. In some cases, this can lead to “Internet Gaming Disorder,” which can interfere with a person’s life, and if not treated can have severe side effects similar to other forms of addiction - such as neglecting basic needs and other people in their lives. * Ana’s introduction, and knowledge of the game, answered many questions that fans of the series had about the game within the webseries: ** The reward for beating the game is being able to play in an MMO, complete with a customizable avatar as well as home, essentially functioning as a “second life” MMO game. ** Ana had played as either Dan or Josie to beat the game, since she knew in the StudioJoho variant of Stage Six they had to marry in order to win the game. *** The official game further elaborated on the status of the NPC characters all players have to marry in order to win. For instance, if you play as Josie in the official game, Dan becomes notably more emotional and concerned about the Villagers’s well being - having taken over the “NPC” role that Josie filled in the web series. This means that whenever the Player chooses either Dan or Josie, the other one adopts an empathetic, kind, and no-nonsense attitude, and is also sapient within the series. Category:Characters Category:Dan the Man web series Category:Enemy weapons Category:Dan the Man game